Architectonics

Architectonics is a full-service architecture firm formed by Thomas Stewart in 2001. The word Architectonics means "the art and science of building," and that is exactly what the firm strives to provide. Many firms lean either toward one extreme or the other, but Architectonics is about creating beautiful, sensitive spaces while also providing clients with projects that incorporate the best practices in construction.

BRANDING APPROACH:

Architectonics seeks to design buildings from an artistic perspective, so I wanted to create an icon and wordmark that carried this thought through from start to finish. In reviewing the architect's past designs, I noticed that angles were often used to create a modern aesthetic and decided to carry these over into the icon. Also, I wanted to highlight the firm's tagline, "The Art and Science of Building," so I decided to use blends in the icon to show the marriage of form and function. For the wordmark, I created hand-drawn typography that was then arranged on a sharp grid - to promote the uniqueness and artisanal aspect, while also offering the mechanical feel of a blueprint. The letterforms purposefully carry unique accents and characteristics to communicate a cool "funkiness" that is an integral part of Southern style.

Final mark.

WORDMARK REVISIONS:

The first wordmark produced the effect that I wanted stylistically, but had some issues with the letterforms. I liked the uniqueness of the letter "a" - especially for use in the icon - but needed to round its left side to mimic the curves of the "c" and "e" forms. I also decided to shorten the width of the "t" letterform and create the same rounded edges distinct to the letter "i" over the hard 90 degree corners of the others.

Vectorizing final wordmark.

Final wordmark.

Vector outline.

Final b/w icon.

SELECTING A COLOR SCHEME:

The proposed color for the wordmark was a dark grey, but the question as to the primary color of the icon and accent of the wordmark was still to be decided. I proposed four different accent colors - each, of course, representing different moods and directions to pursue - and discussed them each with the firm.

In the end, we decided to pursue the green color scheme to highlight the firm's emphasis on best practices for environmental concern in the building process. We also chose the red-maroon as a secondary color for sub-branding materials specifically sent to the university (whose color scheme is maroon) in the firm's city.